thousands of islamists call for change in the jordanian capital as part of a massive rally that threatens to shatter the solid. turkey also thousands strong protests as activists accuse the government of stoking tensions with syria by approving cross border military action. inside syria rebels threatened to execute forty eight iranian hostages within two days if the assad government does not comply with their demands release captured opposition fighters.

it is an hour just after five pm on friday here in moscow this is arts he lives with me rule research. and thousands of islamist opposition supporters have gathered in the jordanian capital amman to demand reform but we can go to the latest pictures for you here on see these are from amman the rallies taking place despite the king having already dissolved the parliament clearing the way for new elections he pledged to introduce more reform to avoid the arab spring style unrest the country has already faced nearly twenty months of protests with people demanding more say in how the state is run later this hour here on r.t. we'll be joined by our correspondent she is in the center of the crowds in. meanwhile in syria the free syrian army says in two days they could start executing forty eight iranian pilgrims they kidnapped in august the threat would be carried

out of the syrian regime does not fulfill demands to release rebel fighters and stop the shelling from the power space institute of democracy and cooperation he says this should alert the world to the nature of the rebels fighting in syria. i think it does underline the nature of at least some elements within the syrian rebels who of course are presented in most of the western media as freedom fighters if they were to carry out their threat to execute these hostages then i think people would understand that we are dealing with a very vicious insurgency and one which any state would be intitled and indeed obliged to try to put down. this isn't the first time that they have done things like this there's been reports in the western media going back months telling how the syrian rebels would slit the throats of the syrian army soldiers that they captured so it's something they've done before admittedly against their own nationals. and in turkey's two biggest cities thousands of marched to protest

what they say is the government escalating tension against syria but what began as a peaceful demonstration in the capital turned violent when riot police moved in to disperse the crowd tear gas water cannons and smoke grenades all used to break the ranks of activists unhappy with the current policies of these ruling party protesters also lashed out at the international media saying the u.s. and its western allies of forcing propaganda by the way of popular discontent was sparked by the turkish parliament approving cross border military actions in syria on thursday but the motion followed mortar shells being fired from inside syria killed five people in a turkish border town banker then were totally aided by launching massive artillery fire on syrian targets for two consecutive days and former pentagon official michael maloof says turkey's entry into the syrian conflict could actually be set up. you've got opposition forces there there and they they they are desperate

they are low on ammunition there and i think they would love to have turkey get into the you get into the fight they're moving they've moved their headquarters from turkey into to syria and that's going to set up a logistical problem for them in coordination with forces inside of turkey to bring in more ammunition and and logistics to back them up but it would be an easier way then to set up a situation where where you bring turkey into the into the fight in order to provide that kind of assistance that they need i don't rule that out. and the salafist from working there in that in that region there they're very very good at this kind of set up. i mean i'm at the u.n. syria's envoy expressed his government sympathy. he's at the turkish casualties and

offered assurances that an investigation is under way at the same time he called on syria's neighbors including turkey to stop terrorists infiltrating into the conflict torn country along the border ati's more important i have the latest from the un security council in new york. well the u.n. security council agreed and issued a presidential statement strongly condemning wednesday's mortar attack by syria on a turkish border town that as we already heard as killed people and in injured several others the council called on the syrian government to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors and the called on all concerned parties to exercise maximum restraint a presidential statement issued by the council also demanded that quote such violations of international law stop immediately and are not repeated mortar fire from syria had a town in turkey on wednesday and that's when the security council began deliberating this presidential statement earlier on thursday the u.n.

secretary general ban ki moon also voiced his alarm at escalating tensions along the syrian turkish border and the u.n. itself there's a lot of divisions over how to solve this crisis that it escalates and everybody within the security council in the u.n. is trying to ease tensions that are growing not only within syria but now on the border between syria and turkey. and we've got a much more on the issue of syria turkey tensions as well as a timeline of events and analysis of dot com and also for more of the ripple effect the old running syrian crisis is sending it to its neighboring states. and iraq is certainly one of them in about twenty five minutes from now where we talk to the country's prime minister who says peace can be brought to syria through weapons and foreign troops. the clashes have taken place and several cities across italy as police to students protesting against cuts in education funding shouldn't say they've been beaten by clubs several protesters have been detained if the euro

zone's fourth largest economy and one of the worst hit by the economic crisis that the government has been pursuing the e.u. imposed austerity policies causing widespread anger across the country but more analysis on cross into europe it's coming your way next. all right for you watching r.t. live from moscow thanks for joining us today in britain the army is the latest victim of the financial up people thousands of u.k. soldiers have been told not to report for duty come the new year but as artie's a poly avoid the reports when it comes to funding expensive war toys britain apparently has money to burn. the number of soldiers in the british army is being cut back by a fifth as you can see here that's quite a significant reduction is going to mean the smallest british army since before the napoleonic wars eight thousand u.k.

troops face christmas as unemployed civilians defense secretary philip hammond insists the cuts a necessary to balance the defense budget yet at the same time the u.k. is committed to remaining one of the biggest military spending is in the world well any modern army even if it cuts its troops needs up to date equipment but take a look at these the british government has spent some two billion pounds on developing remote control attack drones since two thousand and seven but homegrown u.k. drones don't have a good track record how about the watch keeper drone this nifty piece of military equipment has already cost the u.k. taxpayers eight hundred million pounds it was meant to be up and flying by now it isn't yet ready and now running two under half years late and want to keep its predecessor it was a drone called the phoenix that proved so unreliable that an army suckles it became known as the bugger off because it often left on missions never to return the

phoenix was such an epic fail that it was used as an example of the quote dismal failure of the british built drone for systems engineering students in one u.k. university and the cost of this techno flop two billion pounds in fact the ministry of defense is attempt to balance its books has actually contributed to an increase in spending on equipment something those troops facing their final paycheck in the coming weeks will find hard to stomach. r.t. . and a decisive moment looms for both presidential candidates in venezuela. and the. broad. support for incumbent as his socialist agenda. also. russia may soon provide licenses to foreign. oil in the.

breaking move to attract foreign investment for about story and many others after the short break on all. the beauty of reindeer gracefully dancing across the arctic tundra more than just a scenic image it is a way of life traditionally the people are. herders and though in many ways they lead a simple and rustic life they are also highly skilled and organized in. another week. depending. on the day we found this particular camp they were settled near the coast of the see here for families work together to manage nearly a thousand reindeer herding reindeer is not just a job for the people in fact they say it's

a part of their entire culture and way of life and they say that they can use almost every single part of the reindeer to help them survive. the deer is a means of transportation if it's. meant. for the. little life in the tundra is harsh and so before winter hits many of the children are helicoptered to the center of the district and not for boarding school. students learn. different languages utilize modern technologies through specialized grant programs and even learn arts skills all within a protected environment the school was founded. a scientist who wanted a better way of life for his people but even with the most progressive ideas and education many say they don't want to trade the modern life for their beloved.

i have returned to the tundra and i actually like it here if you're outside there's fresh air fresh water looks at the site you can see deer it's a joyful sight. a sentiment that hopefully ensures that russia's northern reindeer will have caretakers for generations to come. live from moscow this is r.t. i'm rory suchet thanks for joining us after a long and bitterly fought campaign venezuela is now braced for presidential elections on sunday but both candidates incumbent chavez sent his rival and the rekick appear less certainly made the most of their last day on the trail hundreds of thousands of people attended a rally led by chavez in a display of solidarity with his socialist agenda. though is viewed as the polar

opposite of the incumbent on nearly every policy he wants to privatized the venezuelan economy scrap welfare programs and stands for closer ties with the u.s. and south american political analyst adrian supple she says it's no surprise washington wants to see chavez come. here think in the stands which is very high use throughout many of these of latin america showing that the united states is. not just in the middle east but worldwide and not so much the countries that are attacked by the united states especially at a time when in two thousand and eight the united states has reactivated the fourth south atlantic fleet and they now have a very strong military presence throughout latin america in the south atlantic just as they have engineered insurrection and civil war which seems to be washington specialisation now with the so-called arab spring mini theater here and that in america we will be seeing a latin american spring with different characteristics but will the united states

will meddle in the internal affairs of countries like venezuela and they will even trigger an act to be a generalized latin american spring which will be turmoil social unrest and even civil war. but of course so many more stories are features and videos and analysis in store for you on our website r.t. dot com including a tragic remark online we've got the story of a russian student who found himself severely beaten in a canadian a hospital bed after making an innocuous remark. making cars more eco friendly is proving harmful to millions had online to learn why land sold for biofuel in developing countries is putting people on the brink of hunger.

live from moscow this is r.t. the u.s. president is being sued by a chinese own company for blocking its planned wind farm investments on u.s. territory and the firm believes barack obama acted unlawfully when he banned the operator on national security concerns and with only a month left before the u.s. elections professor joseph chang believes obama is just trying to score cheap popularity points. there is to try now not to are now trying to get where and there is a certain believe in discrimination against i know there are two levels of concerns all the recent one is the general intention of the united states to china trying to sort of the new ones to the man's countries that world and it is easier to acquire technology not least minority and so on from the united states and other western

countries the other concern of course is the you know action. gimmicks or you know campaign politics he's a literary under time no reason presidents or you know action campaigns their use of tendency under up to ten days to engage in time here just as they did in. and bash ania in the eighty's and ninety's. it's not only obama that china should be worried about though a landslide has claimed the lives of at least eighteen children in southwest china they were trapped inside a school which was buried under mud and rocks disaster also blocked the river below flooding the area and hampering rescue efforts and more than eighty people in the same region have died following earthquakes and landslides last month alone. israeli police have killed a u.s. national after a shootout in a hotel in the red sea resort of elat the man who had reportedly grabbed

a gun from a security guard and opened fire he ended up killing one person then barricaded himself inside the hotel's kitchen and started shooting at anti terror police who then return fire unconfirmed reports suggest he had actually been a former employee at the hotel. now the effects of the afghan war continue to ripple out far beyond its border in india entire farming communities have been devastated by the influx of cheap afghan heroin and i'm sure over the issue is being directed at the us which refuses to go after the drug lords for fear of driving them into the arms of the insurgency this report two artes priya sridhar. almost two thousand kilometers from the war zone in afghanistan women like smith rocor are fighting a battle of their own in punjab india you know my son lives with me we lost his father to drugs and recently lost his elder brother to drugs everyone in the

neighborhood is up to you and taking up drugs and if my son or i then who will look after the children. once known as one of the most prosperous states in india punjab is now one of the biggest drug trafficking hubs in the world officials say most of the confiscated drugs are coming from nearby afghanistan the largest global producer of opium and the situation is getting worse the united nations has reported that opium production has more than doubled in afghanistan since the united states invaded the country in two thousand and one critics say that nato and the united states have not done enough to eradicate the narcotics producing poppy fields which they say is the afghans biggest source of income. is such a culture would lead is such a bankrupt lead used to its condition. trysts. of resistant to anything you see the community is hardened it's of so much so

they're not going to listen to you if you look nice you know start going on wheat the drug addiction problem and punjab is becomes so bad that at spirit say that one in three people are actually addicted to drugs and in this area alone people say that seventy percent of the people between the ages of fifteen and thirty five are addicted to drugs and that's not good news for these women smithville corps community has now become known as the village of widows because of all the men who have died from drug addiction. now many bring their children to this. who'll where sixteen percent of the six hundred fifty children are orphans most of their parents died from drug related debts mainly through private donations they are all able to get an education for free but it's little consolation for what many fear could become

a lost generation in punjab if more action against drug trafficking isn't taken if something happens to my son what will happen to the family where will we go can i bring them up myself far from the bullets and explosives in afghanistan the people of punjab wonder how they too can escape the war that has started to impact millions of their own preassure either r t india. i'll ask about our top story for you here on our thousands of islamist opposition supporters have gathered in the jordanian capital amman to demand reform of us despite the king having already dissolved the parliament there ali was organized by the jordanian a wing of the muslim brotherhood. is among the crowds at the moment joins us live now paula good to see you the protests expected to become the biggest scene there in decades what are they calling for. protests to mean speaking to organizers this morning fine day they were saying that they were hoping that amount of the

thousand people were to not going to sit in numbers on this in this city a lot of people here on the streets of the dane capital till the demands are numerous essentially they're calling on the government corruption at the same time they're also pointing in the actual goal and also for constitutional reforms to be implemented. yet they also say that they want to see it want to keep the. peace and not about the way the government is having it's not. and it. is not plan to stop what you are going to be removed. have been put aside by all the not to say they simply not to now i need not a demonstration by pro-government supporters what's to be held today but at the last minute late on tuesday that was canceled so while there was some concern that they could be potentially clashes today it seems. like because they teach the man is only one side of the school united thousands of people to me not to protest

against the government it is an interesting demonstration because i'm not not i'm not it's not. that it's target in this meeting can you meet not the king has made him attend in the fall and he's also saying that it mean if this year he's going to call for unity elections are they really hearing the muslim brotherhood the big things boycotting those elections are they when you say it seems that the brotherhood not just opposition enjoyment is growing old you just. because egypt may be seen as radical. i mean because it's just how much is the brandenburg city across not only egypt and the countries that make money and spend but also in countries like jordan which in turn now have been relatively stable. right out is a policy that live in amongst the crowds thank you very much indeed for that. so i don't let's get some a business news here on our to talk to join dimitri and find out what his his

finger on the pulse of the global markets are finding for us today dimitri told to us well we are talking about a groundbreaking a move that russian government is actually mulling right now and that is to provide licenses to foreign companies to drill for oil in the arctic as nazis nick pool reports. deal to contains at least one fifth of the world's untapped carbon reserve and the largest part of that territory of course belongs to russia but russia is aware that there is a problem in getting those resources out is enormously expensive and take the key very challenging now a number of deals have been done with western oil which is on needed for their financial backing and technical expertise these include the us six zero mobile it lease any and the waste starts will put to sweeten the pot further alexandra nowak the energy minister here says the government is considering allowing foreign oil to own the licenses that they operate this would be a radical departure normally what happens here is the only roles you have to

gazprom the big states. are allowed to own the oil that's on the ground but they do need to make the projects attractive to give you an idea of the amount of money involved made these comments on a trip to london which is part of a plan to drum up one trillion dollars worth of investment in the russian oil and gas sector by twenty twenty. meanwhile the head of decision is right now in london to meet with strategic partners and discuss a cooperation most actors interested in b.p.'s stake in the russian british joint venture that b.p. nation's capital says if they have to acquire is that stake b.p. will be able to move into the business. the current shareholder agreement prevents b.p. from you know making any invest ones outside of ten-k. b.p. in russia so there has to be a solution and one of them this is leaving exiting from ten-k. b.p. then in theory there are still assets less. than they used to be because the big

pieces were taken by exxon buy in ny and start oil but i'm pretty sure that in terms of exploration assets there's still a lot of potential and a lot of assets to be considered for this investment from b.p. in the arctic. say with energy issues the european union is fighting for transparency in the sector europe wants members to disclose energy contracts and is also pushing for universal prices now by march all nations will be providing the commission with oil and gas deals starting from next year the e.u. commission will also be able to take part in energy talks this move comes amid the e.u.'s antitrust investigation into gas pricing strategy in europe last week with him appears in cost of doubt over economic efficiency in europe's energy rules. all right let's move over to the markets and there's also an increasingly important to

report those just come out in the united states waiting for the u. markets that's open and that's unemployment going down to seven point eight percent the first time in three and a half years the unemployment below eight percent this could be a milestone for a recovery from the crisis and that's why europe is all positive. race however is still a problem so this economy could go belly up by the end of november without the next tranche of a bailout e.u. officials are now enough and scrutinizing nations spending cuts which are a condition for receiving aid the next installment is thirty one billion euro zone without it greece will have to default on its debt. rating agency says spain's biggest fret is the intensifying recession spain is resisting making a request for aid which could lead to further economic problems like high unemployment a massive spending cuts fitch rating agency has a triple b. rating for spain with

a negative outlook. all right let's move over to the russian markets now there's an hour still to go on the clock for them to trade and they're looking very post about the three days of losses with the mob's yes now again two and a half percent blue chips in the in the black. and on the currencies market the euro is losing some of what it gained in the previous session a massive gain against the greenback that was indeed as mario draghi was backing the ground sea and the russian ruble is stronger against both the euro and the dollar. facebook says the number of its active monthly users has topped one billion it's roughly half the internet users in the world and double social networks score two years ago yeah average age of a facebook users twenty two and their country of origin is likely to be brazil india or indonesia and this say the latest milestone raises questions whether facebook can profit from its giant base. all right that's all i have time for

this i'll be back next hour of course in fifty five minutes with another update always a pleasure to see that. i just want to hear a lot see hope you can stay with us just a second on part three and four of us special comments are on the vietnam war of course ended almost four decades ago however his legacy and scars can still be plain to see this is a. wealthy british style. market why not come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into cars

a report on our. heat. culture is that so much time in which of course he's right on economy and so here it is to me the debate the first direct encounter between president barack obama and republican challenger mitt romney left the incumbent looking like road kill.